28 Mar 2016

Over the last few months, allegedly 'amazing' Empoli midfielder Piotr Zielinski has emerged as a possible target for Liverpool, and according to the man himself, a transfer to Anfield this summer is a strong possibility.

Last month, The Telegraph reported that Liverpool tried to sign Zieliński in January, and soon after, the Daily Mail claimed:

"Liverpool [will] hold talks over the signing of Piotr Zielinski. Scouts have continued to monitor his progress".

When specifically asked on Sunday about the Liverpool rumours, Zielinski told Futbolfejs:

"Some people may think it [the Liverpool move] is only rumours but I know something more about it. I am working hard with Empoli so that in June I have a chance to make such a big transfer."

This is as close to public confirmation as it's possible to get, and if the Liverpool interest is 'more' than just rumours, then it's safe to assume that the Reds are actively trying to sign £15m-rated Zielinski.

Within the (historical) context of Klopp's approach to transfers, the Zielinski deal makes sense: like Matip and Grujic, he's cheap, low profile, and comparatively unknown, which fits Klopp's transfer MO at Dortmund.

It must be massively demotivating for the likes of Brannagan, Rossiter, Chirivella et al to see Liverpool bring in similarly-aged midfielders to basically replace them in the first team squad. Klopp is basically tell them: 'You're not good enough, so I'm forced to sign players who are good enough'.

With Grujic, Henderson, Can, Milner, Allen, Lucas, Zielinski, and Camacho (who is also linked) in the squad, Chirivella et al can kiss goodbye to regular first-team action next season.